Flush tank valve assembly



Feb. 7, 1961 H. D. LASSITER 2,970,319

FLUSH TANK VALVE ASSEMBLY Filed March 23, 1959 INVENTOR.

#42410 0. Mas/r542 F7G.3 BY

FLUSH TANK VALVE ASSEMBLY v V Harmon D. Lassiter, 1723 Austin,Levelland, Tex.

Filed Mar. 23, 1959, Ser. No. 801,133

1 Claim. (Cl. 4-57) This invention relates to a flush control unit for atank float valve apparatus, and it particularly relates to novelattachment and supporting means for the valve.

As is well known, ball valves of buoyant construction are. generallyused in flush tanks for closing the outlet pipe of the tank. The ball islifted by a vertically guided rod attached to a lever operated by ahandle on the exterior of the tank to permit the water to flow throughthe outlet pipe. Then as the level of the water descends, the ballfloats down until it seats on the outlet pipe closing it to furtheroutward flow from the tank. However, since the ball must carry theentire weight of the rod during closing movement, the rod must be, ofnecessity, very light and fragile and easily damaged.

In order to solve the aforesaid problem, it was proposed to substitute aflexible chain for the guided supporting rod and to then support theball on an arm hingedly connected to the conventional overflow pipe. Thechain, being connected to the lever operated by the handle, was used tolift the ball from its seat, after which the hinged arm supported theball while it gradually was moved toward its seat by the descending.level of the water in the tank.

The above type of construction was a great improvement over prior flushtank arrangements but was subject to the disadvantages inherent in therelative complexity of the hinged arm structure which tended to becomeclogged and rusty thereby making it difl'icult to replace the unit whenit became damaged. The rust and dirt also interfered with the eflectiveoperation of the device. Furthermore, the construction of this type ofmechanism made it necessary to adapt it to the various specific types offlush tanks and overflow pipes so that they had to be made in varioussizes and shapes.

It is one object to overcome the above disadvantages .by providing ahinge-type flush tank valve apparatus which is free from any tendency tobecome clogged by dirt and rust and which is selectively utilizablewithvarious sizes and shapes of flush tank and overflow pipe structures.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of theaforesaid type which is relatively simple in construction and operationand which may be easily installed and replaced.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide an improved flushtank valve construction, of the character described, that is easily andeconomically produced, which is sturdy in construction, and which ishighly efficient in operation. a

With the above and related objects in view, this invention consists inthe details of construction and combination of parts, as will be morefully understood from the following description, when read inconjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a side view of a tank, said view being partly in elevation andpartly broken away to reveal a flush tank valve apparatus embodying thepresent invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2'-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. '2.

United States Patent or the like.

Referring in greater detail to the drawing wherein similar referencecharacters refer to similar parts, there isshown .a flush tank 10 havingan outlet pipe 12, an overflow pipe 14 connected by elbow 16 to pipe 12and a handle 18 connected to one end of a lever 20. The lever 20 isconnected, at its other end, to the flush control unit of this inventionincluding one end of a chain 22 the other end of which is connected to awing nut 24.

The wing nut 24 is threadedly engaged with a stud 26 extending from thetop of a float valve 28 constructed of a resilient material such asrubber or the like. The stud 26 extends through a slot 30 in an arm 32extending laterally from a collar 34 encircling the overflow pipe 14.The wing nut bears on a washer 35 overlapping the slot 30 to hold thefloat valve 28 in adjusted position longitudinally of slot 30.

The arm 32 is connected to the collar 34 by a hinge connection formed bylateral extensions 36 which are provided at their free ends withinwardly-extending fingers 38. These fingers 38 arereleasably insertableinto apertures 40 provided in lateral cars 42 extending from oppositesides of collar 34.

The collar 34 is constructed of a resilient stretchable, contractible,non-metallic material such as rubber or the like, permitting it tofirmly engage around overflow pipes of various sizes and shapes. Theextensions 36 are constructed of flexible material so that they canexert a spring-like retaining action to hold the fingers 38 in theapertures 40 of ears 42.

The construction of arm 32 and extensions 36, as illustrated, comprisesa metal wire bent into the elongated contour of the arm 32 to form theelongated slot 30 and having its ends bent and twisted into the shapeshown. However, in addition to the type of construction illustrated, thearm 32 and its extensions 36 may also be constructed of molded materialsuch as a vinyl plastic It may also be formed of a machined and shapedmetal strip or the like.

The function and operation of the above-described construction isobvious from the structure thereof. The float valve 28 is adjustablealong the arm32 to conform to the distance between the overflow pipe 14and outlet pipe 12 for any particular tank. The releasable hingeconstruction between fingers 38 and ears 42 of the collar 34 makes itexceedingly simple and easy to disconnect the arm 32 from the collar 34when repair or replacement is necessary. The flexible nature of theextensions 36, although affording a positive connection between theextensions 36 and the collar 34 permits a severing of this connectionwith little effort or skill required. Furthermore, the resilient natureof the collar 34 and ears 42 not only permits the collar 34 to adjust tovarious different types of pipes but also prevents the accumulation ofrust or clogging dirt particles in the hinge connections.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, suchdescription is intended as being'illustrative rather than limiting,since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of theinvention is to be determined as claimed. 1

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, whatis claimed is:

Aflush control unit comprising a collar of resilient, stretchable,contractible, non-metallic material arranged for firmly engaging arounda flush tank overflow pipe, said collar having a pair of ears offsetoutwardly thereon at diametrically opposite positions with diametricallyaligned pivot apertures in said ears, a yoke member formed with a pairof symmetrical leg portions jointed at one end and extending adjacentthe joined ends thereof in relativelyjclosely spaced parallel relationproviding a slot therebetween for a substantial length and then spread-Patented Feb. 7, 1961- 3 4 ing to terminate at inwardly angled pivot armportions washer against said leg portions, and a lift chain securedreleasably fittinginto said pivot apertures with the inat one endcentrally of said wing nut. wardly extending ends abutting the innerends of said apertures, and av ball valve secured at the closely spacedReferences Cited in the file of this Pawnt length of said leg portionsby fastening means e) tend- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS mg centrally fromsaid ball valve and between said leg portions and seated on a clampingwasher overlapping 9 Haltemal! Ian. 3, 1939 said slot, said fasteningmeans comprising a threaded stud 2,767,406 Bennett Oct. 23, 1956extendingcentrally from said ball valve through said slot, 2,779,028Branch Jan. 29, 1957 a wing nut threaded on said stud and clamping said10 2,781,520 Mieek Feb. 19, 1957

